Lakers, lakers, Lakers

[Roughtimes1]

Hey guys,  after many frustrating attempts I find myself here again...Weather this is gonna piss people off I don't know but I am here because I think this is what this site it for, if not then just tell me...  I have been fishing through the ice for almost 11 years now, always targeting Rainbows, browns, smelts and the occasional pan fish.  Mostly trout.  Anyways fishing for rainbows and browns and fishing for lakers from what I have seen on here are two totally different things.  Im not looking for anyone to give up any secretes or piss anyone off.  Christ don't even have to answer its not going to offend me.  I am just looking for the basics of catching a laker.  I can figure it out from there.  I have spent hours upon hours jigging, waiting for tip ups etc.. I have fished depths from 10'-40'. I have tried humps out in the deep water that shoal from 40' right up to 25' I have tried edges, I have tried in the shallows, I have tried gravel, I have tried sand.  I am a commercial fisherman by trade, I do know how fish operate.  Like I said before I don't care about the spots, I'm confident the fish are there.  I am thinking its my technique.  I have tried chumming with shiners, smelts, I have jigged various color buck tails close to the bottom, I have tried airplane jigs tipped with a smelt or shiner, flashers, you name it.  Am I missing something here? In the meantime, Brookie, Rainbow, Brown, I can catch right up if they are there.  The laker seems to be illusive. Any information would be great.  And hopefully Im not offending anyone in the process.  Thanks guys and tight lines

[celtbass]

I think you need to try the kitchen sink!     sorry I had to....   you seem to be attacking it with many similar techniques as others do with success.  What lake are you manly fishing for them?  I started targeting lake trout 3 years ago and the first year I caught one. I did lots of research and many people on this forum shared some great advice and the following year I caught many more. What seemed to help me the most was fishing and moving and fishing and moving again, navionics App helped me to note my spots and try to figure out a pattern.  I've had most my luck with a nickel spoon, but I have caught them on some other baits you described. Don't be afraid to be friendly and speak with the fishermen around you on your lake of choice, MOST of the time if you are polite they will throw you a little knowledge to help you get some Lakers on your side of the ice.  Can be very frustrating but don't give up, once you finally figure some of it out the gratification will be well worth your effort my friend

[joedigio]

There is no great secret to catching them really. Try moving around a lot jigging a bunch of holes until you catch one. Usually 30-40" of water but can be deeper too. Chumming the holes with just a little bit of cut minced shiners helps too. Guys catch them with all kinds of jigs but I like white Swedish pimples...

[dennisg34]

Yeah I would have to say what lake were you on? Some lakes are known to be slow and not much. If in 30-45 mins no bites or marks on the flasher, move. Everything else seems fine for you. Don't be afraid to fish deeper than 40. I like 35-80 fow personally. Bucktails in green, purple, white, white w/red (green, blue etc), spoons, lipless cranks and tubes all work. Try to match the baitfish, but I personally prefer green as my go-to bucktail and been obsessed with my new Clam Flutter Spoon. Could have been an off-bite day too, happens.

[BlackDogAlpha]

First, do a search on this site for Laker favorites.
Second, I have caught them in the same depth, but up to 50' deep youre looking at fish that are chasing baitfish into the "shallows", so you need a more active jig. I fish a flutterfish, sometimes with a chunk of smelt or minnow. Deeper, try a white tube jig with a bootstomped minnow or chunk bait. If you get followers on your flasher but no takers, try to get them into pursuit of the jig by big jig motions, like a 2-3' quick uptake, but be aware they are going to slam it on the descent. The white tube/bucktail has caught a lot of fish. I havent caught anything but a pike on an airplane jig.
If you catch one you plan on eating, gut it and check it to see what its eating. Little smelt or small whitefish/suckers, match your lure to the food source. I caught some nice togue on a silver Hali jig that was tiny compared to the fish, but thats the size pin smelt they were eating.

[TogueHunt]

Wow 11 years and no togue.

No need for traps. Jigging is much more effective for this very aggressive species. A good flasher or fish finder is also very important. Lots of folks use flashers. Many experienced fisherman use standard graph mode as you can see the movement/location of the fish better, particularly in deep water (80-180 feet) as they race from all depths and direction to attack a moving jig. Electronics are key for successful togue fishing. It is very frustrating to fish 'blind' since you don't know what is going on below the ice. You may be fishing spots that don't hold any fish all day while just 100 yards away a huge school of bait was being slammed by fish for hours.

Togue are in all parts of the water column. When you see them on your electronics, jig at the depth where you mark the fish. Drop the jig down
to within a few feet of the bottom and reel up continuously to attract them or get them focused on your offering. Togue will often eat the dropping jig so watch for slack line on the drop. They love to chase the jig and slam it. Some days they will only 'mouth' still jigs which will require a quick lift of the rod to hook them when you see the tip move.

Fish a body of water with a good population. Fish over humps, holes, off points etc. Better yet find schools of bait with your electronices. The fish will be feasting on schools of smelt. Give a spot 15-20 minutes. Move if you don't mark any interested fish.

Smaller jigs can be much more effective than larger offerings. Plastics, spoons and bucktails tipped with sucker, smelt or shiner.

They can be found in depths from 10 to 200 feet. If fishing a deep lake with alewives you may find the best fishing in 120+ feet since that is where alewives hold during winter.

I believe the easiest way to catch your first togue is to fish with an experienced togue catcher. To catch togue you have to find them. Once you find them you will learn from experience what works best for you.

[BlackDogAlpha]

Wow TogueHunter, are you my brother from another mother?, we said almost exactly the same thing within a minute of each other, lol. jinx, you owe me a coke.

[TheCrittaC]

Do you have a flasher or other fish finder? I'm going to agree here with a few other posters -- it's pretty much needed. Often, I'll see togue rush up from the bottom, only to look at my jig and go back down. Try making them chase it when they rush up. They'll see it getting away and snatch it before it does.
Your hookup rate will go way up when you get more than one togue on the screen at the same time. I think their natural "I don't want you to have this" instincts come in and they race to the jig without considering as much if it is real or not.

[JIGGIN-]

Sounds like your trying all the right things. I agree with the comments, you should look at a depth map, you should continue to try anything and everything, continue to try different bait and a flasher or fish finder is very helpful. Underwater cameras are sometimes the best to really get an education as to how lakers react to different presentations, jig methods and bait.

If you chum, the lakers will most likely eat your chum first so maybe try a tip up next to where your jigging with just a piece of cut bait on the hook resting on the bottom (chum decoy). I would also use a chum can to keep your chum under your hole so you can jig in it and not have it spread around.

I've attached a video i made on how i cut my sucker meat up in order to maximize the most out of it. (big suckers can get expensive). i also show how i attach my sucker meat to my hooks i.e.: Bucktails and Kastmasters. I use 3 different methods which is shown. Use the eggs and any addition cuts of meat as chum. At times i even grind up the Caracas and use that as chum too but i always use a chum can.

If you have a weak stomach or get grossed out easily, please don't watch this. It's not for you.

Best of luck to you in your endeavors of searching for Lakers.

[PDubs/NH]

I certainly have less experience than most, but did all right from scratch the last two seasons before last up on Winnipesaukee. My observations:

-I was also targeting white perch which I believe travel around A LOT so rather than move around looking for fish, I found a good area and drilled very few holes, often 2 - one for my flasher and one to jig - and sat it out.
-that being the case... I wasn't on steady schools of lake trout... it seems like a lone or a few fish would show up every so often 20-30min between fish was not out of the question
-having a flasher was KEY. The fish would invariably come up (or over) out of nowhere and smash the jig and be gone if not hooked - without a flasher I probably would have missed a whole bunch of them OR they would come up and sit there and stare at the thing for a while and wander off
-a few of the "staring" fish could be caught by, as someone else mentioned, quickly raising the offering up and away from them a few few - triggering a response. Without a flasher none of this would be known...
-lastly,  the typical jigs and spoons Ive seen (and tried) for lakers - 3-4" tubes, pimples, PKs, helicopter jigs...the Winni fish I was one seemed very finicky... when I downsized they took the offerings much more eagerly an regularly
-as far as locations, I can only tell you the area I fish is a 30-40' hole that is off a large flat with rocky bottom that slopes down to the whole within 50-80yds. Really nothing special about it - its where I often saw schools of whites in the spring over the years during open water so started there and did well of whites and lakers...  well for me I guess.... typical 1/2day would be 5-10 lakers up to 22"


Paul

[mowbizz]

Holy mackerel jiggin!
I just cut a piece of sucker off the fish and put it on the hook scales and all...
Watching your detailed video really opens up a whole new world of how the experts like you prepare the jigs...thank you for sharing your knowledge and methods!

Speaking as someone that fishes "blind" (might as well be deaf dumb and blind)
I appreciate your generosity sharing the skills needed to catch fish (which I have sucked at)
However, I'm slowly changing my approach in hopes that I too can catch lakers!

[potatomansoup]

Tonight at NH Fish and Game Headquarters there is a free laker seminar.
You should go to that.
I have been having a really good laker year for the first time ever, once you work it out, it's not that hard.

"FREE Seminar.... Ice Fishing for Lake Trout and Cusk (Tonight @ 7:00 pm)

Improve your ice fishing skills by taking advantage of this free ice fishing seminar presented by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord. No pre-registration is necessary. Talks begin at 7:00 p.m. See you there.

Join Scott Jackson from the New Hampshire Outdoor Learning Center for an evening of fast-paced learning in which you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to catch lunker lakers and cusk! You’ll have a chance to learn the fundamentals of lake trout and cusk habits and habitat, finding the fish, selecting equipment, using underwater cameras, fine-tuning your tip-ups, selecting bait and lures, and creating bobhouse comfort, as well as getting some delicious lake trout and cusk recipes. Whether you are new to ice fishing or have fished for years, this seminar will give you several tips to put cusk in your chowder and lake trout on your grill.

Scott Jackson is the owner of the NH Outdoor Learning Center. Jackson is a veteran bush pilot, Registered Maine Guide and Licensed New Hampshire Guide with over 30 years of ice fishing experience in Maine, New Hampshire and Alaska. He and his wife Barb began the New Hampshire Outdoor Learning Center in 2010 and since then have helped hundreds of men and women, with all levels of experience, develop or advance their outdoor skills through individual classes. Visit www.nhoutdoorlearning. com."

[mowbizz]

Thanks for the heads up on the seminar...if I wasn't suffering from the freakin flu I would go...been a bad week health wise.

[Arctic Addict]

My best advice is to either fish with someone who is willing to show you or hire a guide.  Not to sound bad but 11 years of trying and countless dollars spent and no fish- time to do something different.  Every aspect of chasing these fish matters.  Location, bait/ lure presentation, patience, prior successful spots etc.  It may be just a slight tweak in what you're doing to change things.  Good luck.

[Mr.Harry]

My best advice is to either fish with someone who is willing to show you or hire a guide.  Not to sound bad but 11 years of trying and countless dollars spent and no fish- time to do something different.  Every aspect of chasing these fish matters.  Location, bait/ lure presentation, patience, prior successful spots etc.  It may be just a slight tweak in what you're doing to change things.  Good luck.

x2 on this. Guides are always a great way to get up to speed on something quick. Like a paid tutorial. Hands-on/real-time seminar. That's half of what you're paying them for. Not their 'spots' but the techniques and strategy. Great idea.

[Sprocket]

And my experience with guides is to be upfront and say,  "I'm looking to learn how & why a spot - not just take me to a spot."

Ask anyone about duck spots or striper spots...you know what I mean.

[FishGuy603]

Guides are a great bet! I've used fly fishing guides when I want to learn new rivers and it helps, even if I know what I'm doimg. It helps shed a new perspective on where to go, how and when to apply certain techniques, and you can also learn new spots on rivers/lakes and that's never a bad thing, particularly for lakers

[fishingeek]

Thanks for the heads up on the seminar...if I wasn't suffering from the freakin flu I would go...been a bad week health wise.

If you have Facebook they might have it on FB live where you can watch the seminar from the NH Fish & Game page. They did that last week with Tim Moore presentation on White Perch.

[winnisquam guy]

Having caught a few lakers from time to time. first thing to know is the lake you're fishing. know preferred lake trout habitat(sounds like you do), chum your holes(lightly to get lakers into your area)and work your jig. lose the traps. i fish blind with no electronics but fish areas I know will produce based on past results.
I use bucktail jigs. tip them with filleted sucker. drop to bottom and pound the bottom with the jig. I do this using short strokes maintaining line control both up and down. i like to feel the jig. sometimes jig it just to raise the jighead off the bottom only.Usually work the jig slow and steady. Cut lots of holes and bounce around. I like going back to previously chummed holes as they may have drawn fish that hang around. look for 30-50 fow water , close to structure but is flat near deep water and or fresh oxygenated water.
what lake do you fish?

[Sprocket]

If you have Facebook they might have it on FB live where you can watch the seminar from the NH Fish & Game page. They did that last week with Tim Moore presentation on White Perch.

I do like Tim - the info he presents and the way he'll answer any question without becoming a politician is refreshing.
"Where can I catch trophy "X" fish?"

Tim: "In the water, under the ice over this type of cover/conditions:... And the following means/methods have proven themselves to me:...Don't forget time and patience."

Political Answer: "Well, I - uh - catch a lot of those - errumm - in lakes mostly, sometimes ponds..."

[Roughtimes1]

Thanks for the info, i think I have more then enough here now.   Gonna go back out this weekend and see what I can do.  By 11 years I meant ice fishing for 11 years.  I have only been targeting lakers this season.  I have made random attempts at lakers and recently really tried but come up with nothing.  Im not gonna do a guide I have been fishing my entire life, In fact I fish for a living, on my 17th year of commercial lobstering and tuna fishing, this past year we managed up 15 tunas in a matter of 2 months. Its just about finding ways to maintain a tight line 12 months out of the year wouldn't you say?  I can find fish i just figure use this site for what its for.  And you guys have given great information here.  Much appreciated, hopefully turn something up in the next few days.  Good fishing to you all. And thanks again

[Coffin Dodger]

Congrats on an awesome tuna season, Chris.
Shouldn't take you long to master those lakers.

[Kierran]

I have only been targeting lakers this season.  I have made random attempts at lakers and recently really tried but come up with nothing.

Some good info in this thread. The real key here is, do you have electronics? They go hand-in-hand with jigging for lakers. I wouldn't bother without it.

[FalcoJP]

There is no great secret to catching them really. Try moving around a lot jigging a bunch of holes until you catch one. Usually 30-40" of water but can be deeper too. Chumming the holes with just a little bit of cut minced shiners helps too. Guys catch them with all kinds of jigs but I like white Swedish pimples...

Yeah, its too bad the swedish pimples have lead

[Msteffen]

Yeah, its too bad the swedish pimples have lead

I don't think thats true. I know some stores who know better than to sell them if they do.

Mike

[DConICE]

Even if they do... they are legal...they don't fall under the definition of a jig the way the regs are written....

[FalcoJP]

Even if they do... they are legal...they don't fall under the definition of a jig the way the regs are written....

They definitely have lead. I wrote the company. But this is curious, I dont know how it is written

[FalcoJP]

Even if they do... they are legal...they don't fall under the definition of a jig the way the regs are written....

Are Bay de Noc technically spoons?

[MFallon]

The way I understand it, Swedish pimples are spoons, not jigs, because they have a free swinging (not fixed) hook.

[Msteffen]

Interesting. I guess I didn't entirely know the law.

Mike